101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure is a direct-to-video sequel to the animated Disney film One Hundred and One Dalmatians, starring the voices of Martin Short, Jason Alexander, and Barry Bostwick. It was released on January 21, 2003 and garnered DVDX awards for best animated feature, best director, best editing, and best musical score. Disney re-released the film on September 16, 2008. DVD Review at UltimateDisney.com. Plot Roger, Anita and their canine clan are packing for the big move to Dalmatian Plantation, a home in the country with plenty of room for the 101 pups and far from the clutches of Cruella de Vil. The feistiest pup, Patch, feels lost in a sea of spots and longs to be a one-of-a-kind wonder dog like his TV hero, Thunderbolt. While watching the Thunderbolt Adventure Hour, Patch hears about a chance to appear on the show while it's filming in London. However, the family move will interfere with Patch's opportunity - until he's accidentally left behind in the commotion. Patch heads for the audition to meet his hero and win a guest spot on the show, but is laughed off stage for his squeaky bark. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt's trusty sidekick, Lil' Lightning (Jason Alexander), tells Thunderbolt the producers want kill off his character and replace him with a younger dog. In order to save his job, Thunderbolt decides he will go into the real world and perform an act of true heroism to prove himself. A veritable reference book to Thunderbolt's many adventures, Patch provides the perfect guide for the TV star in his attempts at real-life heroics. As for Cruella - she's back and more obsessed with Dalmatians than ever. At first, she's able to calm her frenzy through an affiliation with a spot-fixated German artist named Lars. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt makes several attempts at 'heroism', telling Patch he is giving him a "Junior Deputy Test" and will let him on the show if he can pass. This "test" involves Patch unwittingly giving instructions on how Thunderbolt, who has no idea how to act without a script, should save the day. Back at Thunderbolt's trailer, Lightning's true nature is revealed. Fed up with being second best, he cons the producer, desperate and frantic over Thunderbolt going AWOL, into recasting him as the hero. Cruella soon discovers that Lars, despite his best efforts, is unable to recreate the look she desires. In order to inspire him, she begins hunting for the Dalmatian puppies, but is angry to find Anita's house empty. However, using a newspaper picture of Patch, she reads their new address off his collar. Meanwhile, Patch and Thunderbolt bond over their mutual fear of being 'just another dog' and Thunderbolt begins teaching the pup how to bark properly. The family finally becomes aware that Patch is missing as Cruella posts bail for her former cronies, Horace and Jasper and sends them to the farm to steal the remaining 98 puppies. Lars becomes enamoured with the pups and is inspired to paint, but Cruella announces that he is going to make a masterpiece out of puppy fur. Lars refuses, but Cruella simply ties him up and goes back to her original plan of making a puppy fur coat. The imprisoned pups use the Twilight Bark to send an SOS, which is picked up by Patch and Thunderbolt, and the two set out to save Patch's family. Lightning is horrified when he discovers Thunderbolt might actually become a hero and hurries to the warehouse where the pups are being held. He convinces Thunderbolt not to use Patch's stealth plan but to openly attack. However, Cruella shows up, knocks Thunderbolt out, and locks the two in a cage. Lightning sneaks in and reveals that Thunderbolt is a fraud. Patch is deeply hurt that Thunderbolt would lie, but soon realizes that their current situation was covered in one of the TV episodes, and manages to escape. Patch releases his family, but Thunderbolt stays in his open cage. Horace and Jasper confess to Cruella the pups are missing, but Patch tricks the trio into going downstairs while the dogs escape via the roof and get onto a double-decker bus, which they accidentally start. Cruella follows in hot pursuit as they race through the streets of London, crashing through the filming of the new 'Lil' Lightning' show. Cruella finally corners the pups in an alley. Patch tries to hold off the trio as the others escape, but they are undaunted. Luckily, Thunderbolt arrives (having hitched a lift with Lars) and apologizes to Patch, claiming he isn't a hero, but he can act like one. He fakes a heart attack, distracting Cruella (and managing to have her knock out Horace and Jasper) while the puppies escape before collapsing. Lightning bursts into tears at the sight of his 'dead' colleague as Patch puts the bus into reverse, forcing the four bad guys into the river. Patch and Thunderbolt survey the scene, both letting out deep, heroic barks. Lightning is arrested, along with Horace and Jasper, while Cruella, now driven completely insane, is sent to a mental institute. Pongo and Perdita arrive and tell Patch that they are proud of him. Thunderbolt confesses that he is just an actor, but Patch is 'a real, one of a kind wonderdog'. A newspaper montage reveals the fates of the characters. Lars, using a painting Patch accidentally made by throwing paint at Horace and Jasper, finally receives credit for his 'genius'. Horace and Jasper open up a ladies' boutique with the motto: 'Fur Bad, Nylon Good'. Roger's new song 'Seeing Spots' becomes a smash hit, and Cruella is featured in an issue of 'The Institution'. A post credits scene shows Thunderbolt, with his new sidekick Patch, in his TV show, with the other pups serving as extras. Cast *Martin Short as Lars *Jodi Benson as Anita *Tim Bentinck as Roger *Jeff Bennett as Jasper *Kath Soucie as Perdita *Ben Tibberas as Lucky *Samuel West as Pongo *Tara Strong as Two-Tone *Mary MacLeod as Nanny *Kasha Kropinski as Penny *Bobby Lockwood as Patch *Maurice LaMarche as Horace *Barry Bostwick as Thunderbolt *Michael Lerner as the Producer *Jason Alexander as Lil' Lightning *Susanne Blakeslee as Cruella de Vil SoundTracks *"Seeing Spots" *"Dalmatian Plantation" *"The Thunderbolt Adventure Hour" *"Canine Crunchies" *"Cruella DeVil" *"Try Again" (performed by Will Young) *"You're The One" (performed by LMNT) Trivia & Goofs * In the original film, Patch's siblings, including Lucky, have white ears. * In the original film Patch's right ear is black but in the sequel his left ear is black. * Also in the original film, his Patch is on the same side of his black ear, but in the sequel it was on the opposite side. * Patch had no trouble barking in the first film, in fact he barked more than any other pup! * When Thunderbolt does his bark to let the puppies know he's on his way, his head is pointed up, but when the scene cuts back to show Patch and Thunderbolt, his head and neck are at an angle. * When Thunderbolt either (a) does his bark or (b) tells Patch he is a one of a kind wonder dog, his ears always fall forward. * Whenever Patch barked, he is either laughed at and/or reffered as a squeaky toy. * Thunderbolt referring as "squeaky toy"'. * During the 'Twilight Bark' scene, the man walking the two Great Danes bares a similar appearance to one of the Band Players in the "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" number in "Mary Poppins". * This story is somewhat similar to the "101 Dalmatians: The Series" episode; "Watch for Fallen Idols", where Lucky learns Thunderbolt is just an actor. * Despite Roger having a different voice artist in this movie, when his song plays in Cruella's Car, it's the original singing voice; Bill Lee singing. * The Dalmatians, on the back of the moving van at the start, closely resembles the climax of the first film. * Amongst Lars' Spot Art Pieces is the Mona Lisa with a Spot on her lip and a Mickey Mouse Head. References External links * Official site * 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure at the Internet Movie Database Category:Movies